On The Other Side Of The Fence

   If I was a First Nation woman who was around when the British began to settle things would be very different. I would be used to going anywhere we wanted to fish,hunt and find resources, to having boundaries we have to follow. The area around getting smaller and smaller as the settlement grows. I would feel like I’m being taken advantage of. We would have helped them with the fur trade, and helped them navigate through the woods and areas around use. They have found natural resources we weren’t using and finding uses for them to make money. As our land grows smaller they grow bigger. That isn’t fair. The places we would normally go to find what we need we can’t go to anymore because a treaty says it’s theirs. Not only are they taking our land and resources they have also brought over diseases that we are used to. Our bodies don’t know how to fight it off and are beginning to get sick and people are dropping like flies. They have done enough. The land is ours. We have been hunting and using he resources since I can remember and they think they can just show up and take it away from us just like that. It’s an outrage!

    We were here much longer they have been. We use everything we take and appreciate everything we are given. They use us for furs to sell and make a profit. They also bribe us into deals where we are the ones losing out. They only think for themselves. They take everything we have worked to hard to get and achieve. They are using us for what we know. We know how to live off the land and use everything we find. We know how to take care of ourselves and teach the young the important things we believe in. This is all we know and all we have. They can’t just take it from us within a short period of time. It’s unbelievable how they can be so heartless just to make a little profit from or loss. We could be using the furs for good use. We could have more land to hunt and fish. We might be able to feed more in the community and in the winter we could have more resources so we don’t have to split into such small groups just to make it by.

      I remember when we didn’t have to worry about boundaries and following a certain treaty with different settlements from across the seas. Where we could go to the river and fish without a bunch of new people wondering around. We were better before the new people came. We were healthier. Now everyone is getting sick with something they brought over. Our bodies don’t know the disease so we can’t fit it off. They don’t seem to care that we are sick and slowly our clans are getting smaller. This brings outrage to everyone around us. We are being slowly killed off because of the new people and what they bring with them. Nothing good comes of it.

      They are taking everything from us. Our land and space to roam. They also believe we should change our religion. We have created what we believe in for a reason. Something to follow and teach the young what is really important. The seven teachings is what we follow and it has worked thus far why change it. It’s disrespectful to come from a new place and try and change how we do things. We have taught ourselves how to take care of ourselves and we are doing just fine no need to change how we live now. The kids know because if it how to treat others, where to go if they want to learn a certain skill. We believe they should learn by doing it themselves and figuring out the best way it works for them. We teach them to appreciate whatever they are given and what they may take from Mother Earth. Not what we take and not give back but what we appreciate. Unlike the new people who only think of themselves and making money to buy what they want not take care of what they need and only what they need. They only believe in materialistic things. Makes me sick.

IN TODAYS NEWS

                                   The First peoples

who were the first peoples, and how did they structure their world?

 different groups of people who lived in similar geographical areas shared cultural elements which are the food sources, housing, clothing etc.
the 6 cultural areas are
-Arctic
-Subarctic(western,eastern)
-northeast coast
-plateau
-great plains/prairie
-woodlands

there language is one of the most important part of there culture
till this day only 94% of indigenous languages in Canada are at risk. for there culture areas are
-subarctic(west and east)
-great plains/prairies
-woodlands
language groups are:
-Cree
-Dakota
-ojibwe\Ojibway
-oji-cree
-dene

In Today's News!

          Today in class we discussed the first people and their social structure. We talked about how our community is organized, and what some of the written and un written laws/practices are. Then we talked about how the community was organized.

          The first one we talked about was extended families (a family that includes in one household near relatives such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles in addition to a nuclear family) within a community. Communities were made up of many different kinds of extended families but the most occurring one includes; a child, grandparents, aunties and uncles, as well as cousins. 

          

          The next area we talked about was clans. A clan is considered as a group of people who make up a community or who exist inside of a larger community. A clan is mostly determined by common ancestry, like if you share the same ancestors, or geography so if you live in the same area. 

          

          Next was the community size. This is dependent upon the availability of resources to make sure that you have enough food, shelter, safety, etc. If you have a lot of resources within your community the bigger it is and the faster it will grow. The amount and availability of resources may rely on the seasons and climate of your area. An example of this is many Blackfoot nations lived in small clans in the winter but joined together as a large group to hunt bison in the summer. 

          

          The next factor that we talked about was gender roles. Women organized, prepared games, as well as planted and harvested crops. The men within the community hunted, defended the group, and negotiated relationships with other groups. Roles within the community were quite flexible, and everyone's contribution to helping the community was accepted, regardless of the traditions. 

          

          The next big factor within a community was elders. An elder is someone who is recognized for having a lot of knowledge and wisdom. An elder can be anyone, man or women, young or old, but they must have experience. They are leaders who teach through examples, and they are turned to lots for help and guidance and are respected greatly. 

          

          Next was education, in a community children learned by doing and were taught by their whole community. Everyone was expected to know their history, spiritual ideals, and all the practical skills.  The education within the first people was meant to guide children, not to intimidate them and control them. Everyone in the community was free to make their own choices as well as learn from their mistakes. The teachings themselves were holistic, meaning relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts. The mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of the people was all being taken into consideration. 

         

         Lastly we discussed justice and conflicts, everyone within the group worked towards the good of the community. Everything was shared within the community, and by doing this it kept theft to a minimum. The people that broke the customs of the group were seen as un balanced, and were counseled by elders to make amends and restore the harmony within the group.


Refrences:


Definition of Holistic.(2017). Uploaded by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Website available online at  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holistic


Definition of Extended Families.(2017). Uploaded by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Website available online at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extended%20families

In Today's News

  Today we talked about social structures and what they all entail. Social structures are written or unwritten laws and practices that a group people who relate or have the same ideas to follow. They use the ideas to hold the group together. The people involved look towards the elders for their knowledge and wisdom. This can be a person of either genders and any age but must have experience to be considered an elder. They would pick the person because “they relayed on other kindness and less about him/herself.”(2) This person is normally a natural leader and is greatly respected by the people of the community and others around them. They would be the ones “when food was scarce they would make the decision to split into smaller groups and go separate ways.” (2) Then you have the communities which are normally extended families or clans of common ancestry (human and animal) or geography. Your group would be determined by your moms (maternal) or fathers (paternal) ancestry.  The size of the community would depend on resources, and season.  The roles in the communities were very flexible. Women normally took care of crops and harvest, organizing everyone and preparing game. If a boy wanted to know any of these he would be tonight just like everyone else who wanted to learn. Then the men took care of defending the group, hunting and talking to other groups in making negotiations.

   The eduction in the communities taught to the children is for them to learn by doing and being helped by the entire community. The people of the community are expected to know the history, spiritual requirements, and important skills. The education was taught in a way that everyone would learn from their mistakes or make their own choices on how they learn best. They were taught in a way that there well- being was a big part. If they were mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually unwell they would find a way to fix it so they can learn better. Next we learned about the justice and conflicts and how it was handled. The entire community had to work together to make the best decision and what would be the best for the situation they were in. Whoever broke the requirements of the community was considered to be out balance in one of the four areas of their well-being. Individuals who were accused were counselled by the elders to bring back harmony to their well-being. If their offensive was serious it was brought in front of the entire community. They could be have to be under supervision, need guidance or put in isolation for a certain amount of time.
                                       







1) social structure/ leadership (2007). Uploaded by Canada’s First Peoples
http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_plains6.html

2) social structures/ leaderships Eastern woodlands (2007). Uploaded by Canada’s First Peoples
http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_wf6.html

In Today's News.

In today's class we learnt about the First Peoples Territories. We learnt about the 6 Cultural regions that the First People lived in, and the languages that they spoke. We also further explored these topics but with information pertaining specifically to Manitoba. In class we mapped the 6 cultural areas on a map of Canada, as well as mapping the cultural areas and language groups of Manitoba (pictured below).

Cultural Areas

The 6 different cultural areas of Canada are:

• Arctic
• Subarctic- Western and Eastern
• Northwest Coast
• Plateau
• Great Plains/Prairies
• Woodlands

The geography of each region greatly influenced the way way people in that area lived. It effected things such as clothing, food sources and housing. The people who lived within similar regions shared the ways they would take care of each of these elements, and these methods varied from region to region. 

Language

Before European explorers came to Canada, there were approximately 50 major languages with 12 distinct language families and a countless amount of dialects. These languages play a very key role in culture, in that:

• complex thoughts cannot exist without language
• verbal communications help to create and maintain bonds between living things
• without language it would be very difficult to portray opinions/ideas

"Language is the expression of our culture and our land. We cannot have one without the others. We cannot describe our culture and our land if we do not have language." 

Even though language plays such a key role in our culture, sadly 94% of Canadian indigenous languages are at risk of becoming extinct. 

"If you want to learn your Language, you have to use it!"

Manitoba Specific

The different cultural areas that cover Manitoba are:

• Subarctic- East and West
• Great Plains/Prairies 
• Woodlands

The different language groups that are within Manitoba are:

• Dene
• Cree
• Dakota
• Oji-Cree
• Ojibwe/Ojibway

References

First quote:

Importance of Indigenous Languages.(2006). Uploaded by,Queensland Indigenous Languages Advisory Committee. Available online at: http://ourlanguages.org.au/importance-of-indigenous-languages-quotes/

Second Quote:

Plains Cree Elders Quotes.(unknown). Uploaded by, Freda Ahenakew, Muskeg Lake First Nations. Available online at:http://www.sicc.sk.ca/plains-cree-elders-quotes.html

in the new of social struture

In todays news we are going to be talking about social structure and how some families are same and different. Some families are extended a extended family have the children grandparents aunts/uncles and their cousins and sometime mom and dad. There are also clans its a number of people who make up a community or who exist with in a bigger group. clans determined by:
the common ancestry( human animal)
history
depending on the group, you followed your mom (maternal) or dad (paternal) clan line. This leads to the community size for the community size it depended on the availability of resource's to ensure enough food and shelter and the safety if there is a lot of resource's then that means there are going to be more people. This could change during the season to for an example many Blackfoot nations lived in smaller clans in the winter. When the seasons get nicer they rejoin up again for hunting bison in the summer. The men and women have different roles and this will take us to the gender roles. The woman did the organizing, prepared games, planted harvest the crops. The men did the hunting and defending the group, negotiated relationship with the other groups. the roles were also flexible: everyone could to everything like men could do the organizing and the stuff that the girls did. the girls are the same way they could do the stuff that the guys did. It al deepened on the tradition.
now we are going to be going to the past witch are the elders they are recognized for having the most knowledge and the wisdom. to doesn't matter with it was male or female younger or older. They have the most experience they are the natural leader who teaches by example a lot of people in the community turn to these people on a daily bases. the elders are greatly respected. well now we are going to be talking about what everyone needs is an education the children learn by doing and were taught by the entire community. The whole community are expected to know their group's past, spiritual ideas and practical skills the education was meant to guide the children; not to tell them what to do. Everyone interprets things differently, makes their own choices and learn from their mistakes.

 http://www.clipartpanda.com/categories/extended-family-tree

This Reminds Of

In history we talked about the first nations..
before the Europeans came there was approximately
-50 major languages
-12 different languages families


in Canada there are three cultural areas
-subarctic
-(west/east)
-great plains/prairies
-woodlands


The different kinds of language groups are
-Cree
-Dakota
-Ojibwe
-Oji-Cree
-Dene


Unlike the French, the English did encourage agriculture and settlement in Canada. They had also charted the Hudson's bay company in 1670 with the help of two French traders who were Sier de Groseiller and Pierre Raddison. The region controlled by the company was called Rupert's land. ( was claimed by the English and French at the same time) The company established trading posts all long Hudson Bay. The French tried to cut into this operation by intercepting the Indian traders as they went down the rivers towards Hudson's bay.
The company of New France took over the fur trade and also arranged for 4000 immigrants to come to Canada. Far fewer than that came over by 1663 the population of New France was only about 2500

The First Peoples

In todays class we learnt about the First People, their territories and languages. They had "6 Cultural Areas" they were Arctic, Subarctic, Northwest Coast, Plateau, Great Plains/Prairie, Northeastern Woodlands. Those who lived in the same geographic regions would often share cultural elements. They had 50 major languages and 12 distinct language families. The 5 langauge groups were Cree, Dakota, Ojibwe, Oji-Cree, Dene.

This Reminds Me Of

When I think of "primary" and "secondary" sources, my mind goes directly to museums. To understand why my mind thinks of museums you have to know what "primary", and "secondary" sources mean:

 Primary Sources:

• The "first" source (actual source)
• You have to have a primary source to make a historical assumption
• Examples.) Letter, Contract, Photo, Interview, Diary, Original Video (from original source)

Secondary Sources:

• These are the ones that we use (in school)
• Examples.) Textbook's, You Tube Video, Book's, Film's

Can Create a Secondary Source From...

• Connecting primary sources
• Looking at other secondary sources
• Gathering information from primary, and secondary sources

When Looking At Sources: (This is what workers from Pawn Stars has to do ;))

• Trust the source of information.
• Do they look authentic?
• Are the people who are writing qualified to write?
• Is the story biased?
• Was there any editing/staging done to make the photos/videos look a certain way?

Museums

Definition:
A building where historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are kept and exhibited.
Why do we have museums?
Museums come in all different shapes, and sizes, and are located all over the world. There are a whole bunch of different types of museums. Some are: fine arts, applied arts, craft, history, cultural history, military history, science, technology, children's museums, natural history...and more. Even though there are a lot of different types of museums, they all have the same intentions. There intentions are to share information about the past. Each type of museum distributes there information in there own way, even though there are a few things that they have in common. Some of the things that they have in common are that they all have sources, whether they are primary or secondary. Some museums have primary sources, others have secondary sources, and some have a mix of both. The most common source that you would see in an museum would be a secondary source. The reason is that there can only be one primary source for something, but a whole bunch on replicas of an artifact (primary). Another reason why it is not common for a museum to have secondary sources and not primary sources is that primary sources are very expensive. In fact if you were going to by the famous painting call "the Mona Lisa" then you would have to bring at least 780 million dollars with you.

Canadian Museum for Human Rights (2013) Uploaded by unknown, Historica Canada. Available online at:http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-museum-for-human-rights/

What types of things are in a museum?

All of the things that go into a museum have to be significant
The significance of history depends on:

• If it was important at the time? If so, how important was it?
• If the consequences widespread and lasting?
• How much did the event symbolise an important issue or trend?
• Who it was important to?

Now that you know what primary and secondary sources, and museums are...

Now that you know what primary and secondary sources, and museums are you now should be able to understand why I think of museums when I hear  those words.
In every single museum there has to be either primary sources (the original artifact); secondary sources (a replica of the original artifact); or both. If does not have any of those it is not a museum.

The first people

We learned about the first people and how they lived, how they held onto peace and prosperity.
The first peoples of Canada signed treaties to band together and hunt larger herds of animals for the benefit of everyone.

We also learned about worldview and sourcing of historical evidence, such as sorting it into primary and secondary sources and how "presntism" can impact the world.

Primary sources are mainly recordings or journals from the event itself while the secondary sources are pretty much anything else.

The First Peoples-Lifestyles

Today in our History class, we continued to learn about the first Peoples of Canada. We took notes on things like Justice and conflicts, Relationships, and Leaders.




Justice & Conflict
-everyone works towards the good of the community
-everybody shares their stuff with each other, so there wasn't nearly as much theft as there is now
-people who broke the customs were seen as "out of balance" (customs could be mental, spiritual, physical, or emotional)

-the people offended were consoled by elders to make amends and restore harmony

-the event of a serious crime (like murder) was considered a responsibility of the whole community(supervision, guidance, or isolation for a period of time)




Relationships
- All communities practiced self-governance
-most group decisions happened through consensus
-decisions needed to be for the good of everyone (in present + future/ humans, animals and nature)




Leaders
-decided in any ways depending on the group or family (family ties, abilities like hunting/ negotiating)
-Could change often depending on: >community confidence >season >community status (peaceful, in conflict, in crisis, etc...)




The First Peoples (2007). Uploaded by Goldi Productions Ltd.
Available online at: http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_groups_overview.html






 Historical Quotes Of The Day:

"Our greatest glory is not never falling, but in rising every time we fall" ~Confucius

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past" ~Thomas Jefferson

Both quotes: History Quotes (2001-2016). Uploaded by unknown. Available online at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_history.html



Cultural languages

cultural area. (2007). uploaded by  Goldi Productions Ltd. avahttp://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_groups_languages.htmllibale online at

In Today's News..

In the classroom we have been learning all about The First Peoples & Their world.

Territories

There are "6" Cultural Areas in Canada
-Arctic
-Subarctic
     -Western & Eastern
-Northwest Coast
-Plateau
-Great Plains/Prairies
-Woodlands

Map. (2012). Uploaded by Dragonfly Consulting Services Canada. Available online at:
http://dragonflycanada.ca/resources/aboriginal-peoples-terminology/

Language Families

Before the European Contact was made there were about:
        -50 major languages
        -12 distinct language families
        -numerous dialects.
To this day 94% of indigenous languages in Canada are at risk of extinction due to lack of speaking them. (1)The three most used are Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut
(1) https://slmc.uottawa.ca/?q=native_peoples_languages


Manitoba

We have three Cultural Areas in Canada:
      -Subarctic
           -(West/East)
      -Great Plains/Prairies
      -Woodlands
There are also language groups (5 of them)
       -Cree
       -Dakota
       -Ojibwe/Ojibway
       -Oji-Cree
       -Dene

(2) As of 2011, the most popular language spoken in Canada was Algonquian with a total of 144,015 people speaking it.
(2)https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/98-314-x/98-314-x2011003_3-eng.cfm

Social structure of the first people

During the class where we discussed the social structure and values of the first people we talked about gender roles, clans, extended families, community size and the elders. The social structures of the first people were usually based on the way a group related to one another based on written or unwritten laws.

The elders where the most respected people in the community or clan because of their wisdom and knowledge. People would go to the elders for advice and guidance. Elders could be a man or women and it did not matter if you were younger or old. To become an Elder you must have experience and you must earn the respect of the community through your wisdom and actions.

The clans were a group of individuals who make a community or are a part of a larger community. Clans were usually determined by common ancestry among the people. The size of the community was based on the amount of resources you have and that already exists in your location, the more resources you had the bigger your community or clan would become.

Extended families and gender roles: the extended families are made up of all the family members including: children, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and your parents all in one house hold. the men of the house usually were the one who would take the role of hunter and they would protector the family and the villages. The men were also the one who went to war if one would ever happen. the women were the one who would remain in the village to tend to meals, harvest crops and organize the people. Children would also remain in the village and help with everyday duties like cooking, sewing, help in the fields.(uploaded by goldi productions in http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_wf6.html)

Leader; the leader or chief of the village was usually determined by the bloodline of the mother. the war chief was determined by position through valor, wealth and courage.  The more an individual had to offer and give away the more their status rose.

(uploaded by goldi productions in http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_wf6.html)

The First Peoples: Social Structure

 Today in Mrs. Thompson's class, we talk mostly about the lives and social structures of the First Peoples. We learned about the different aspects of how the First peoples lived.


Social Structure
-Extended Families
-Clans
-Community Size
-Gender Roles
-Elder
-Education (unfinished)


Extended Families


An extended family was made up of many relatives, like the children, grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins.
"Families were important, and extended families shared living quarters."
http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_wf6.html

Clans

A clan is a number of people that made up a society or lived within a bigger society. Common ancestry (human or animal) and geography were what determined clans. A clan can either follow the maternal(mother) side or paternal(father) side.

"Clan membership was always inherited through the mother's side of the family. A person always married outside of their own clan."

More information at:

http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_nwc6.html

First Peoples Historical Overview. Available online at:

http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_groups_overview.html

Community Size

Depending on how much available resources there were determined the size of the community. Lots of food, safety, and shelter meant a big community. The community size also depended on the changing seasons.

"New villages were settled every 10 to 30 years. Every ten or twenty years – whenever the soil got poor, the place got too dirty, or the fish and game became scarce - everyone would move their village to a new place where the soil was richer in nutrients and the fish and game still plentiful."

Settlements and Housing . Available at: http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_wf2.html   

Gender Roles

Even though the roles of the women and men were pretty set, the roles were very flexible. In the end it didn't matter what gender you were as long as were contributing to the duties in the community.

"The females were symbols of fertility, and raised the children, and tended to the fields. The males were the hunters and the protectors of the family and the villages."

Family. More info at: http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_wf6.html

Elders

An Elder was someone who was very well respected, had great wisdom and knowledge. An Elder could be a person old or young, man or women, but the must have much experience in many different things. These people were who all the other people would come to for help regularly. They were not taught how to lead, so they were naturally like this.

"The Elders held the wisdom and were greatly respected. The eldest female was the master of the longhouse. The elder grandfathers were the storytellers."

Family. Available at: http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_wf6.html

Education

For education everyone in the community were the teachers, and the children learned by action. Their education system is based on guiding children to learn what they wanted. Everyone had different skills and so they learned by watching and practicing with other members who did that skill (hunters went hunting with long time hunters.) Although everyone in the community was meant to know the groups history, spiritualty, and basic skills.

"Children’s games, like those of the Sarcee, taught life skills."

Children. Available at:  http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_plains6.html   

 

                                            (Continuing more on Education next class) 

In Today's News..

Today In Mrs. Thompson's class, we leaned about the different cultural areas in Canada and the different Indigenous language families in Canada.

Cultural Areas
There are "6" Cultural Areas.
-Arctic
-Subarctic
  -Western and Eastern
-Northwest Coast
-Plateau
-Great Plains/Prairie
-Woodlands

Cultural groups were separated this way because of (1) “groups that are or were similar in culture and history,” For example they had the same style of clothes, houses and food sources.

Aboriginal Cultures Groups Map. (2011). Uploaded by O, Canada!. Available online at: https://1eonsauce.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/aboriginal-culture-groups-map-best.png

(1) http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-people/


Language Families

Prior to the first European contact (2) (France in 1534) there were approximately 50 major languages. They were 12 distinct language families but countless dialects.
Language is arguably the most important part of the First People's culture and history.
Roughly 94% of Indigenous languages are at risk of extinction.


(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_France


Manitoba

Manitoba is a part of 3 Cultural Areas.
 -Subarctic (East & West)
 -Great Plains
 -Woodlands
Manitoba is also a part of 5 language families.
 -Cree
 -Dakota
 -Ojibway
 -Oji-Cree
 -Dene

The First Peoples- Clans

Iroquois Wars. (Accessed 2015). Uploaded by the Canadian Encyclopedia. Available online at: https://tce-live2.s3.amazonaws.com/media/media/1ddef9e7-e3c5-4510-9e9c-e1994ac29434.jpg